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Dollar store digging

Every spring, myself and the two ladies I coached synchronized swimming with became queens of the dollar store. All the props, decorations, hair accessories, other accessories — nearly everything came from the dollar store. If I had to put reasoning behind it, I guess it was because a) we were using it in the pool so it was going to get wet and probably ruined and b) we were only going to use it for one or two exhibitions.

In any case, we got really good at dollar store hopping. At our old pool, there were two stores within spitting distance of each other and the pool, and a couple more up and down the road. That year, the three of us took turns going out for stuff we had forgotten or had run out of day of show, and when it was my turn to go out, I kid you not, I would just hang up with M. before my phone was ringing and M.B. was asking me about something else. When we moved to our new pool, we were in a shopping complex with Walmart, Superstore and Zellers close by — the day of the watershow, M.B., M. and I made numerous trips between dollar stores, Superstore, Walmart, probably a couple other places I can’t remember, and debated going to Costco.

So yeah, dollar stores hold some special meaning for me. You can find almost anything you need (for a synchro exhbition, at least) at a dollar store, if you know where to look. We even had our favourites — we knew to go to this dollar store if we were looking for top hats, but to that dollar store if we were looking for bandanas.

There’s only one dollar store here in Lloyd, but their selection isn’t half bad. I had a pretty productive day — got dishes and laundry done, and then started the “super exciting project” I’ve been tweeting about. I was going to be a little more detailed about it, but I’ve decided to keep it super secret for a little bit longer too. But I did run around today, collecting everything I needed, including stops at the dollar store and Walmart. I found pretty much everything I needed, and I’m pretty pleased with the way it’s coming together — though I would like to know what is so darn attractive about Sharpies. I ended up buying a coloured pack of Sharpies to draw with instead of just Crayola markers, because, well, they’re Sharpies.

This is what my kitchen table looks like right now. It's actually not as messy as I thought it would be, which is always good.

I’m invoking my 30-minute rule — I’ve actually probably been working on this now at home for three hours or so, and I’m definitely not going to the pool tonight. The lastest little bit of the project isn’t turning out the way I want it to right now, so I figure now is as good as any time to walk away for a bit.